Finding Her Way Back Home
by davidr11
Summary: Tori Vega has had a hard life after Hollywood Arts, this is the journey of how she finds love. Jori, multi chap, rated M, may have triggers so read at your own risk.
1. Lost To The World

_**AN: This story will deal with adult situations including rape, self harm, and drug abuse. Read at your own risk. Please, if you ever feel suicidal or like hurting yourself reach out to someone, you're important and this world is better with you in it.**_

Tori never expected things to turn out the way they did, in high school she had it all. Great friends, she was popular, and most importantly she had been wildly talented. Not that she wasn't now, she could still sing and she imagined she could act still. Not that it mattered, she got black balled before even graduating. It was a series of events that would haunt her for the rest of her life, but she didn't want to relive them now, the important thing is her life had been stolen from her before she ever got to live it.

After leaving Hollywood Arts her dad was killed on duty, her mom moved onto her dad's partner Gary really fast, and Trina ran off with some random guy. Her mom ended up divorcing Gary after only a couple of years of being married and took almost every last cent he had to his name. Tori had no clue where her mom lived now.

Tori herself ended up getting some waitress jobs after graduating, but depression set in. She really had wanted to be a pop star, it was her only dream. So it didn't take long until she started using drugs to self medicate. Holding jobs became hard, she showed up to work high all the time and soon enough she hardly showed up to work at all. She started prostituting herself to afford her habit, soon enough she was living out of her car. She was raped several times during this period of her life.

Her friends you may ask, well they had moved on. They all got some sort of job or other in the business. Jade was a singer/song writer, Cat did movie makeup, Andre became a big song writer writing many of the last few years biggest hits, Beck had broken into the acting scene mainly indie films at the moment, Robbie did voice overs and for some pretty big movies and cartoons.

Tori had been clean a year now though, she was in a long term rehab in Northern California and was doing great there. She had no clue her life was about to change pretty drastically though.

"Tori," Mark called. Mark was a floor staff here at the rehab and was a pretty great guy. "A miss Jade West is here trying to sign you out into her care."

…

Jade West had spent the last several years trying to find a Ms. Tori Vega. She had been easy enough to keep track of right after high school, but had been off the radar for a long time now. Rumors had reached her right before she lost track of the girl, drugs, prostitution, some nasty shit. Jade had done her best to try and track her down and take her out of the mess she had gotten herself into but she was untraceable. Which meant she was most likely homeless, jobless, and getting herself into a worse situation every day. All this time Jade had been determined to find her, the rest of their friends had basically forgotten about Tori by this point, but Jade never could.

She had a crush on Tori ever since the girl had started Hollywood Arts, not that she ever acted on it. Too much to lose and not enough to gain. It didn't mean she wanted Tori to have this life though. Finally a private detective she had hired recently had found her. She was in a rehab about 350 miles north of LA. Jade was in her car the next day headed north, it was time to bring Tori home.

…

Tori's mouth was open wide in shock, why in the hell would Jade be here? She hadn't heard from the girl in almost seven years and now she shows up out of the blue to check her out of rehab. "Can I see Jade first? Before I checkout I… I need to talk to her," Tori asked.

"Sure of course," Mark told her, "By the way, why did you never tell us you knew Jade West? Could have been a bit of a celebrity yourself," Mark teased winking at her. She never told anyone because the keyword there was _knew_ Jade West, past tense.

Tori was brought to the visitor's room, a room she had never been in herself as she never had visitors. The first thing Tori noticed was that Jade was as beautiful as ever which made Tori self conscious. She knew her eyes still had the hollowed out look drug users get, permanent scars were on her arms from when she use to shoot up all the time. No, time had not been kind to Tori. Or Tori hadn't been kind to herself was more like it.

Tori sat down at a table across from Jade. There was nothing but silence for a good five minutes. "So," Jade started, "I see you've had an interesting last few years." Jade made a terrible attempt at a joke.

"Why are you here Jade," Tori asked trying to get to the bottom of the situation. "I haven't heard from you, any of you, for seven years and now you're here to check me out. I can't help but be a little confused."

...

Jade sighed, god she didn't realize how awkward this was going to be. How could she explain things? 'Oops, sorry but I lost track of you but I swear I was trying to find you and help you' didn't sound very convincing.

"I'm gonna be honest with you Tori, I'm not completely sure why I'm here myself. I never forgot about you I swear. But you haven't been so easy to find. I hired several private investigators over several years to try and find you. Any time they came up with anything it was outdated useless information. It was like you were always three steps ahead of being found, or I guess I was always three steps behind on finding you. Either way I heard things, and I tried to help. I was just too late." Jade finished doing her best to not get emotional.

Tori was still strikingly beautiful, but in a sad way. Her eyes were deeper set now and had the hollow look of a long time of drug abuse, she was slightly under weight despite being in a rehab for the better part of a year, and she was sad. You could just look at her and tell she was sad, it radiated from her, it shown in her eyes. And it broke Jade's heart to see it. They had all failed Tori, she had failed Tori, and there was nothing she could do to ever undo all the damage done to this poor beautiful girl.

"And you expect me to believe that?" Tori asked.

"I don't expect anything from you Tori," Jade said softly, "but if you give me a chance and come home with me I can promise you a bed, clothes, a roof over your head, and support." Jade tried to avoid eye contact with Tori as the girl contemplated Jade's offer.

"Fine, I'll go with you. But Jade, I need a good environment. I don't want to relapse," tears formed in Tori's eyes and Jade saw the extent of the broken girl before her. Jade took Tori's hand a gave it a firm squeeze to let her know she understood. Jade would be on her best behavior.

…

An hour later Tori had gathered up all her stuff, the few pairs of clothes she had, papers with songs written on them, papers with poems, drawings, this was all she had to her name. As sad as it may be Tori didn't have a real home for a long time so she hadn't really had any possessions, all her current clothes had been provided by the rehab. Jade and Tori filled out some paper work, signed a few papers, and Tori was signed out into Jade's care.

They drove in silence for some time before Tori broke it, "So are you still in touch with the rest of the gang?" Tori asked.

"Yeah, I mean we don't hang out all the time or anything. Occasional lunches, a phone call here and there, you know how it is," Jade said. Tori nodded, she most definitely knew how friends could grow apart.

"You and Beck still together?" Tori asked her getting a bit nervous, she had always had a crush on Jade. She just never acted on it back in school because of Beck.

"Nah, broke up right after graduation. Too busy of schedules, both of us trying to break out into the business and all," as Jade finished Tori tried to hide her smile at her words.

Several hours later they arrived at Jade's condo in Hollywood. Tori had never been in a house that was this fancy. Jade led Tori to her room. It had a beautiful view and was, simply put, huge. She had her own bathroom and walk in closet.

Tori and Jade spent the rest of the night talking and eventually eating dinner. Tori did her best to not talk about her past seven years in detail. She was appreciative of what Jade was doing for her but she just wasn't ready to go there yet. Finally it was time to head to bed.

The next morning Tori woke up to the smell of delicious food. She wandered out into the kitchen to find Jade cooking bacon and eggs. "Oh my god that smells so good," Tori said as she sat down at the table. Jade laughed, "Yeah I bet it smells much better than the rehab's food." Tori gave her a shy smile as a response.

"So, I got you a job. I mean you don't have to start tomorrow or anything but I called in a few favors and a movie that's being shot could use an extra makeup artist on hand. Once you feel a bit more settled in you're welcome to start any time." Jade finished. Tori got up and took Jade into her arms. "Thank you," she whispered into Jade's ear. Jade squeezed Tori and responded with, "No problem at all." Tori decided she'd take a few days to collect herself before starting the new job Jade had secured her. She spent the day lounging around the house, so glad to be in an actual home. Jade had to leave to do some song recording around noon but she welcomed Tori to watch TV, eat anything in the fridge, use her personal gym, anything at all.

Tori spent some time in the gym and then flipped through TV until Jade got home. Tori hadn't even realized she missed Jade until she walked in the door. All of a sudden she was back in high school, shy around Jade, noticing how beautiful she was, and wishing she could hold her hand.

Jade put on some movie, Tori wasn't even really sure what it was a she was having trouble paying attention. She was so close to Jade, what would it hurt if she tried to hold her hand? She doubted after everything Jade had done she'd throw her out over that. So Tori took Jade's hand into her own, trying to act nonchalant and like all her attention was on the movie. Thanks to this Tori couldn't see the smile that spread across Jade's face as she gave Tori's hand a squeeze.


	2. Like A Diamond

_**AN:**_ **BOLD** ** _text is Tori telling Jade part of her life story,_** _ITALICIZED_ _ **is a flash back. Thanks for all the reviews, all the views, the favorites and follows, please read and review.** _

_Tori was tossing and turning in her car, unable to fall asleep for the fifth night in a row. She had been living in her car for almost a week now and hated every second of it. But what is one to do when they have no money to pay rent. She sat up and pulled out the baggie that had heroin in it. She had been trying to shake the stuff but she needed to sleep tonight. She pulled out her spoon and lighter, melting the drug down. Next came out the needle, ahhhh sweet release. Sleep finally came to her._

Tori woke up in a sweat, god she hated when she dreamed about these thing. It was a part of her life she long wanted to forget. It seems the past will always be there to haunt you. Looking around the room she smiled to herself, she had almost forgotten that Jade had rescued her from rehab. And rehab had rescued her from her own personal hell. She looked at the clock next to her bed, she was really going to need to get a phone, it was 4 AM. She doubted she would be able to fall back asleep so she got up and made herself a pot of coffee.

Tori wondered what had made Jade track her down, why after all this time, all these years, did Jade see a reason to save her? Jade had no clue what Tori had been through, the things she had done. Thinking about it made her skin crawl, no one who knew back in Hollywood Arts would ever believe what her life was like after leaving.

 _Tori couldn't sleep again, god she ached all over. She just needed a little bit, just enough to take the edge off. Then she could sleep, and stop hurting. God the crap didn't even get her high anymore at this point she just needed it to function. She didn't even have any gas to get anywhere to try and get a hit off of someone she knew._

 _She walked a few blocks to a bar that was frequented by less than savory types. She walked up to an obviously piss drunk guy getting into his car. "Hey," Tori knocked on his window as he started up his car. "You have any cash?" She asked trying to convey in her voice what she was asking. The guy didn't get the hint at first. "Lady," he started, "If you're wanting a handout you're going to have to work for it." He said while putting his car into reverse ready to pull out and leave her. Tori put her hand on his car._

" _That's exactly what I was thinking," god she felt disgusting saying that but she just needed a little bit. He put his car back into park and raised an eyebrow. "Well then, I think we can work something out."_

Jade sat down across from the table from Tori. Tori looked at the clock behind Jade's head, 5 AM already? She didn't realize how much time had passed. "Trouble sleeping?" Jade asked her as she took Tori's cup to have a drink.Tori nodded, "Yeah you could say that," the Latina replied.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" Tori asked hoping she wasn't being a bother. "Sure did," Jade replied. "Don't worry about it though, I like to watch the sun rise anyway." Jade motioned for Tori to join her out on her balcony.

They sat for some time watching the sun slowly take up the horizon. "Jade," Tori started, "why did you bother to track me down after all this time? Not that I'm not thankful, trust me I am. But you hated me back in school; so what compelled you to keep tabs on me?" Tori finished asking. Jade sighed, taking a moment to articulate her thoughts.

"I never hated you, as a matter of fact I liked you a lot. My actions in high school are hard to explain. They were one part jealousy, one part keeping you at a distance, and one part insecurity."

Tori gave her an expectant look, she wanted an explanation for all those reasons. Jade sighed again, "I was jealous of how talented you were." Tori scoffed at that. "Jade," Tori started "You were every bit as talented as me, if not more so." Jade shook her head at that.

"You were, are, so special Tori. When you sing the room lights up, everything else disappears and the crowd gets drawn into you. I'm great, but you were always a cut above the rest. You are a diamond, precious beyond belief and as beautiful as the night sky full of stars."

"Well, we'll have to agree to disagree," Tori said while shaking her head. "Anyway, continue." Jade squirmed a little, she was not looking forward to explaining this next part.

"Well," Jade started, "I always had a bit of a crush on you. Which this ties into the insecurity bit too, how would people react if they knew Jade West was into girls? What would it do to my, then, future career? So I kept you at an arms distance, never let you close enough for me to show my feelings."

Tori sat there taking in what Jade just said. Tori took Jade's hand into hers and kissed her very lightly on the lips, so lightly Jade wasn't even really sure if she had kissed her. They sat holding hands as the sun came up. "So," Jade finally broke the silence. "I think you owe me some explanation of what happened after school. What led to rehab. You don't have to say anything now if you want, but eventually..." Jade finished not completing her thought. Tori sat there for a minute, her turn to articulate what to say.

"I'll tell you a little now, and I'll open up here and there. You won't get the whole story right away, but I swear if you keep me around long enough you'll get it all." Tori finished as Jade gave her hand a bit of a squeeze. "Sounds like a deal," Jade replied.

…

 **After she had been black balled she took a job as a waitress. The tips weren't much but they got her by even if just barely. For most people it would have been a good enough life, she had a small apartment to call her own, cable TV, WIFI, a car that she could afford (most of the time at last) to put enough gas in to get her from point A to point B. But that wasn't enough for Tori Vega, she had dreamed of being a star. She had gone to a prestigious performing arts school, she had been good too damnit. Good enough to have a career singing, bare minimum background singing and dancing. So after day in and day out of waiting tables, putting on a fake smile, being nice to even the most damndist of jerks to make sure she got a tip, the depression set in.**

 **Her job didn't have health coverage, so she couldn't see a therapist or try to get on anti depressants. She had made friends with some of her coworkers, in particular another waitress who usually worked the same shifts as Tori, her name was Jackie. One day Tori, on a week Tori's tips had been unusually bad, she asked Jackie if she could borrow 30$ to help get her through the week on gas. Jackie was more than willing to do her the favor, but Jackie insisted Tori would have to come to her place after work and meet her boyfriend.**

 **Tori figured that wasn't such a bad deal, hangout with Jackie whom she liked anyway, meet her boyfriend who hopefully was a cool guy, and in return she got gas money to get to work every day. Once arriving Jackie offered her a beer which Tori took happily. Jackie's boyfriend had ditched out on her so it was just the two of them. Tori opened up about her depression, how life was just getting her down. Jackie had just the solution, she pulled out a baggie that had a white powder in it and a needle.**

 **Tori gulped, she couldn't identify what drug it was as she had never partaken in that particular habit, but she was sure it was something hard. Jackie assured her how it would help with her depression and god Tori just wanted to not be depressed anymore. So she agreed, Jackie melted it down in a spoon and they shot up. Tori would look back on that day with regret for the rest of her life.**

…

Tori finished, she used her free hand to wipe away a tear that was forming in her eye. "I think that's enough for today," Tori said, voice a bit shaky. Jade simply nodded and gave Tori's hand another squeeze. "Well Tori, I can't promise I'll ever be able to get you performing. I can promise that you'll always have a place to stay with me, even if you're in between jobs or have no money. I can most certainly get you jobs doing makeup or the likes though. It may not be the career you dreamed of but I'm sure it's a hell of a lot better, and more fulfilling, than waiting tables."

In that moment Tori couldn't couldn't hold in her emotions and tears burst from her eyes. Jade took the broken girl into her arms and let her cry. "Shh, shh" Jade cooed over and over while rubbing Tori's back. "It's going to be okay, I'm here now. I'm here now." A few minutes later as Tori's tears started to dry up and her sobs subsided Jade finally let her go. "I'm going to have to get ready to go in and record, make yourself at home again. It's up to you but I think you could probably use another day or two to relax before starting work." Jade winked at Tori after finishing. Tori smiled and nodded her head.

She wasn't sure what she had done to make her deserve Jade and everything she was doing for her. For the life of her she couldn't think of one damn thing she had done in the last seven years. She had been a shitty person, she used, stole, slept with men for drugs and money. She shook her head to bring her out of her thoughts before heading back to her room to get more sleep.

…

As Jade got ready for the day she thought about Tori. The poor girl didn't think she deserved kindness. She thought being a now ex drug addict made her a bad person. Nothing she had done during that time made her a bad person, it just meant she had been in a shitty situation. Life had built her up, showed her how talented she was, and then took everything away from her. Like a cruel joke it kicked her house of cards over and laughed as it tumbled down. Jade had no clue what she could do to bring Tori to see she was a good person who deserved to be loved.

Jade decided she was going to pay for Tori to see a therapist, if the girl wanted of course. She'd pay for a doctor, any medications she needed. Nothing was too expensive to see the bright and happy girl she knew back in high school. One of the few people willing to stand up to her, a girl who was ready to take life straight on and make it her bitch. It would be a long and hard road but Jade was ready to be there for every second of it.

Jade felt old feelings stirring back up, every time Tori held her hand Jade's heart skipped a beat, every time she cried Jade wished for nothing more than to fight away every bad memory. But she couldn't make a move on her now, she was too down, if Tori did anything to reciprocate her feelings Jade would feel like she was taking advantage of her.

Jade sighed as she quietly walked out of the apartment, Tori had gone back to bed and Jade didn't want to wake her. One day, hopefully one day soon, Tori will be hers to love.


	3. A Bumpy Road Ahead

_**AN:** ITALICIZED **is song lyrics,**_ **BOLD** ** _is Tori telling the therapist about her past. To the reviewer encouraging me to continue writing, don't worry I am and I have NO plans to abandon this story. Song lyrics in this chapter are from Adam's Song by Blink 182. Thanks for all the reads, favorites, follows, and of course reviews! Please read and review._**

 _ **...**_

 _I never thought I'd die alone  
I laughed the loudest who'd have known?  
I trace the cord back to the wall  
No wonder it was never plugged in at all  
I took my time, I hurried up  
The choice was mine I didn't think enough  
I'm too depressed to go on  
You'll be sorry when I'm gone_

 _I never conquered, rarely came  
Sixteen just held such better days  
Days when I still felt alive  
We couldn't wait to get outside  
The world was wide, too late to try  
The tour was over, we'd survived  
I couldn't wait till I got home  
To pass the time in my room alone_

Blink 182 played as Tori pulled into the office building where her new therapist worked. It had been two weeks since Jade had checked her out of rehab and things were going pretty well. Jade had lent Tori her second car so Tori could get to her appointments on time. This would be her first meeting with this therapist; Jade had been pestering her to see one. Tori appreciated her concern but had been apprehensive about the whole situation. The idea of opening up to a complete stranger about her life just felt… dirty.

Tori sighed, opened up her door, and headed into unit number 183 where she would spend the next hour telling someone she didn't know just how badly she had screwed up in her life. She checked in with the receptionist and spent the next fifteen minutes sitting awkwardly next to a forty year old man who looked like he had seen much better days, 'Probably exactly how I look' Tori thought to herself. When her name was called she followed the receptionist through a door that led to a hallway ultimately ending in a medium sized room with a desk, a computer and some papers on the desk, and a woman sitting behind it. The lady looked up and smiled at Tori.

"Tori, right?" the lady asked Tori. "Er, yeah. Dr. Shannon?" Tori said, more of asked.

"You can just call me Shannon if you're comfortable with that," Shannon told her. Tori wasn't sure how she felt about that, but if Shannon preferred it she'd at least give it a try. Tori sat down in a chair in front of the desk directly opposite Shannon. "So," Tori began awkwardly, "Where do we start?"

"Well we can really start anywhere you want if you have a preference, but if not why not just start by telling me what brings you in," Shannon told Tori. Tori sat there in deep thought for a moment.

"Well, my friend, and roommate, Jade thought it would be a good idea if I saw you," Tori finished as Shannon typed something into her computer and nodded. "Why would Jade think you'd need to see me?"

Tori cleared her throat, god she hated this already. "Well, just a couple of weeks ago she checked me out of rehab which I had been in for a year. For over half of the last decade I've been a habitual drug user. I've been clean since entering rehab though." Tori finished. Shannon typed some more notes into her computer as she responded. "I see, so did Jade have anything to do with your choice to enter rehab?"

Tori shook her head. "No, thankfully she didn't see what a mess I was before going into rehab. I went in because… Well I got into some trouble with the police. When I went before a judge he gave me a choice. I could spend the next three months in county jail, or I could enter rehab for a minimum of six months. All paid for by the state, my lawyer had a psychologist do some tests and the psychologist concluded I would respond well to intense rehabilitation. When six months came I asked to stay longer, an appeal was submitted to the state and the state decided I could stay until the rehabilitation center thought I was okay to leave or until I checked myself out." Tori finished, she was shaking a bit. She hadn't even told Jade any of this yet.

Shannon nodded and gave her a small smile, "I know it's not easy to open up about these kinds of things but you're doing great. If you're comfortable with it would you like to tell me what you did to get into trouble?" As Shannon finished Tori took in a big breath, if she was going to tell anyone this why not start with a licensed professional?

…

 **Tori opened her tent, which she had pitched in a wooded area a bit off of the street, and looked out at the morning sky. She hadn't slept well last night, she had no heroin so she smoked some meth instead. She preferred heroin a lot more but beggars can't be choosers. Meth and sleep don't go together very well though.**

 **Tori packed up her camp, determined tonight she'd have her drug of choice. She started her day by pan handling for money for a pack of smokes and maybe some coffee. Tori may not be the looker she was in high school (which was hard to do when you don't have access to water for a shower) but she still held some of her attractiveness in this state. Combined with being a female, getting a few bucks was usually not too hard.**

 **She sat in the park for most of the day, smoking and watching from a far as happy families went about their day. Once upon a time Tori had hoped she'd have kids and family. A dog to play fetch with, maybe a few fish in tank. Unfortunately life wasn't always so nice. She didn't resent these happy families, she was truly glad they were happy. She just felt sad. She felt sad a lot, had considered suicide a lot, but she was still here forcing herself to get to the next day.**

 **Finally night came around and Tori headed to one of her usual haunts, a truck stop where prostitutes were common. If a trucker didn't pick you up some guy who probably had a wife and kids would come by and pick you up instead. Either way it didn't mean much to Tori, she'd turn herself off and go into autopilot when the time came.**

 **A guy in a really nice car pulled up to Tori, Tori perked up because a car of this caliber meant this guy had money, and a lot of it. "How much?" he asked her.**

" **Fifty bucks gets you head, hundred for the real deal," Tori said said feeling the usual wave of nausea go over her. She just pushed it down.**

" **How about fifty bucks and some dope for the real deal?" He countered. Tori was in the car so fast she hardly remembered getting in. They headed into a back ally where she turned herself off and went through the motions. As they finished and he cleaned himself up he pulled out and went down a couple streets where a bunch of cop cars were waiting.**

 **She was pulled from the car and handcuffed and read her rights. "But he had sex with me!" She screamed to deaf ears, no one believed her. She was being charged with prostitution and attempting to buy narcotics. She insisted for the next several weeks that he had sex with her but not one person believed her and she had no proof. Eventually she stopped saying it as her public defender, who was actually quite good at his job, warned her it could be hard to get her a good deal. He was sorry and insisted he did believe her but the problem was she had no proof, it was her word against his and she had several priors over the years. Eventually her public defender brought the psychologist in to test her and he even got the District Attorney to drop the prostitution charges. Now all that was left was the choice between rehab and jail. She knew which one she was going to pick.**

…

As she finished telling Dr. Shannon all of this tears were coming out of her eyes, then she started to sob. It was like a hole had been ripped into her sadness and now that it started leaking out it couldn't be patched back up. She sat there and sobbed, Dr. Shannon got up and came around and took Tori into her arms giving her a hug. It was very quick but it helped Tori calm down.

Shannon sat back down behind her desk. "Tori, you need to understand that you were a victim. That isn't to say your choices played no part, they did, but you were a victim to the drugs. A victim to the men who would pick you up, a victim to the cop who took advantage of you, and most importantly a victim to life. You need to understand when on drugs you're not yourself, no one is."

Tori nodded, it was nice to hear but she honestly had trouble believing it. Dr. Shannon continued, "I promise you, by the time we're done seeing each other I'll have helped make a difference in your life. I think this is a good place to stop for today. I'm going to give you some homework though. I want a list of fifteen things you did that were nice or to help someone when you were using drugs." Tori nodded, she was pretty sure she could do that. "Okay Tori, I want to see you again in two weeks, okay?"

Tori left the clinic feeling weirdly better, like even though she had a huge weight on her chest some of it had been lifted. She had been shocked to see she had been in there almost an hour though, time had flown so fast. Tori had decided she really did like Shannon.

…

Jade had a long day in the studio, she had to rerecord the song they had done yesterday because after hearing it again she just wasn't satisfied with it. She was glad to finally be pulling into her driveway, and she was very eager to hear how Tori's appointment went assuming she wanted to talk about it.

Jade unlocked the door and walked in to see Tori watching TV. Tori got up and looked behind her happy to see Jade. Tori rushed forward and took Jade into her arms giving her a huge hug.

"Thank you so much Jade," Tori whispered into her ear. "I love the therapist and I'm so glad you encouraged me to go." Jade squeezed her tightly and noticed her neck, where Tori's head is, was wet; Tori was crying."It's okay, I'm here it's okay." Jade cooed over and over. They held their embrace for what felt like an eternity, not that Jade was complaining.

Jade prepared the two dinner and they sat at the table to eat. "I'm glad to hear it went so well," Jade started, "Dr. Shannon was recommended to me as the best in the business." Tori nodded and said, "She didn't even say much to be honest, which I guess is a testament to just how good she is." Jade smiled as Tori said that, then Jade reached across the table and grabbed Tori's hand for a second. Tori and Jade were constantly holding hands over the last two weeks. They had even cuddled a lot, shared a few pecks on the lips. Neither brought it up in conversation. Jade understood though, Tori was entering a new part in her life and needed to heal. What she didn't need was Jade trying to force her into a relationship at such a crucial junction in her life, and Jade understood this, which is why she had never brought it up either.

Jade was happy with their, slightly intimate, embraces and kisses for now. Maybe that's all Tori would ever be able to offer her, and Jade would be okay with that too. As long as Tori was safe and with her. "You know I'm sure they'd understand if you called into sick for work tomorrow, that session must have taken a lot out of you," Jade told Tori.

Tori shook her head, "No way, I haven't even been working there two weeks. I want to prove I'm the right person for the job and not just the girl Jade West got hired. I mean no offense I'm really glad you got me the job… It's just," Jade cut her off chuckling a little, "It's fine Tori I understand what you mean. Just promise me you won't overwhelm yourself." Tori looked Jade in the eye and smiled, "I promise," she said.

That night they both fell asleep holding each other on the couch while watching a movie. Neither girl could remember in recent times when they had been this happy.


End file.
